You may have heard the news around the internet that Marc (The Wood Whisperer) and Nicole Spagnuolo are expecting a baby. Congratulations, you two!
In response to this exciting news, Shannon Rogers (The Renaissance Woodworker) and Matt Vanderlist (Matt's Basement Workshop) recorded a special edition of Wood Talk Online Radio. They enlisted the help of the woodworking community in providing useful parenting tips for Marc and Nicole.
I was very happy to impart my words of wisdom to the young couple:
Listen to the full episode and other woodworkers' advice here. And if you have more tips for the soon-to-be parents, I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
I Refuse To Call These Mistakes

Looking back, sometimes I lucked out as a newbie and would score a nice socket chisel or adjustable tenon cutter. Other times, I'd end up with something that looks good in a photo on a blog, but are as useful as a laser light on a marking gauge.
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Good thing we're so tidy, otherwise the garage would be a disaster. |
I also bought a LOT of lumber. Here in the middle of Pennsylvania, we're surrounded by farmland. And farmers always have stacks of lumber in their barns. So, early on in my woodworking life, I attended many farm auctions. Rarely were other attendees interested in lumber; people were there to buy farm machinery. So, after awhile I wound up with so much wood we could no longer park our cars in the garage.
Back then, I'd buy whatever wood I could get that was cheap, not knowing if I'd like to work with walnut, maple, oak, cherry, poplar, beech, or apple (all the species in my stash).
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Dyami lifted five boards to my one. |
I mentioned on twitter that I'd love to get rid of it and my friend, Dyami (The Penultimate Woodshop), came to the rescue. He drove down from Long Island with a flatbed truck and hauled a bunch of it away.
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Using a short handsaw to cut stickers apart. |

But, this is all part of the journey. They are not mistakes.

Except for the mice. Who now need to find another place to call home.
By the way, I'm not advocating setting up a complete workshop before you've even cut a board. Pick a few projects you like and get the tools you need to build them.
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Anarchist's Tool Chest: Book Review

If he had decided long ago to take up needlepoint rather than woodworking, we'd be missing out on his sense of humor, creative writing, commitment to the woodworking community, and enormous amount of hand tool knowledge.
Chris's latest book is The Anarchist's Tool Chest. Why "anarchist"? He provides several explanations, one of which is "a desire to work for yourself and to run in social and economic circles made up of other individual artisans." It's the notion that we can buck the norm and make something that's built to last, using the best joinery and made with the best tools. It's an idea that thumbs its nose at the flimsy, veneer-covered, chipboard garbage that surrounds us as consumers.
The book is divided into three sections. In the first part, we get a glimpse into Chris's initiation into woodworking starting at age 11 when he helped his Dad build the family's farmhouse. We read about the path that led him to Popular Woodworking Magazine, his insatiable desire to learn all he could about the craft, and his revelations along the way.
Then Chris gives us his tool list—a list that's been pared down to the essentials for a hand tool woodworker. This is the result of 30 years' experience with using and testing more tools than most of us will ever get our hands on. He encourages us to learn from his mistakes and discoveries, so this book is a great place to start if you are just getting into hand tools.
It's also a great place for those of us who use hand tools on a regular basis. I'm glad I didn't skip a single page in his book, because I learned a lot more than I ever realized I didn't know.
I love a strong opinion, but only if it's backed up with thoughtful reasoning and facts. Chris provides this with aplomb. He has a rationale for every single tool that made his cut list, how they work, and what to look for when buying new or vintage.
The book also contains Chris's philosophy about the craft and about life. Time is more important than money. Doing the things we love, the best we can, with the best tools and materials we can acquire, is everything. And while you might not agree with his ideas and suggestions, they will give you pause.
The last section of the book is devoted to building a tool chest, the design of which is based on his years of study. Many times we try to outfox the old timers, which is foolish. They knew what they were doing. So, Chris relies on the things he's discovered about the vintage, user-friendly, bomb-proof chests and lays them out for us, so we can get it right the first time.
His 475-page book is jam-packed with straight-to-the-point information and peppered with Chris's signature quips, but it also shows what a great storyteller he is. His easy and conversational style makes this a fast and enjoyable read. The Anarchist's Tool Chest is a hard book to put down. It's engaging and very well-written and -researched.
As I was reading, I was picturing what a 23rd-century woodworker would think of it. Because this book will be around that long. And then some.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sharpen Your Handsaws With Ron Herman: Review

In his new video, Sharpen Your Handsaws With Ron Herman, he provides clear, concise instructions. After watching the video, you will know exactly how to sharpen handsaws—rip, crosscut, and miter.
Also included with the video is a 14-page pdf file explaining saw terminology, sawtooth characteristics, how to use handsaws for ripping and crosscutting, file sizes, and saw till inventories for different types of trades (cabinetmaker, timber framer, etc.).
Ron walks you through the sharpening process, starting with the basics—the parts of a saw and the few tools needed to sharpen them. He tells you what to look for if you're shopping for a vintage vise and talks a little bit about vintage saws.
From there, he works on a rip saw, then a crosscut saw, and briefly discusses miter saws. Saws are sharpened in this order: joint, shape, sharpen, test, adjust set. And when sharpening, you use your senses of touch, hearing, and sight.
When you joint the teeth, pay attention to the sound. A consistent noise will tell you when you're finished.

He explains rake and the degrees that works best with soft- and hardwoods.
He talks about what to look for when sharpening, how to position your light source, and where to put pressure on the file to address trouble spots. Because he explains why problems occur, we become equipped with the ability to trouble shoot on our own. Is sawdust collecting on the teeth instead of in the gullet? Your saw is not sharp. And Ron explains why.
He shows you how to position your body for maximum comfort and best results, and brings up safety issues on several occasions.
He tests each saw after sharpening, eyes closed so he doesn't try to adjust the cut if the saw wants to wander, and shows how to remove and add set as necessary. He even intentionally messes up his careful sharpening by bending a half dozen teeth, testing the saw, and showing how to quickly correct it.
Crosscut saws are a little trickier because of the fleam, but Ron makes it easy. In fact, all of it looks easy with patience and practice.
We can totally do this.
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You can see the introduction to his video at the bottom of this link.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Carving Symmetrically

So, if you aren't yawning yet, I'll share with you how I'm making the scrolls on the frame saw fairly identical.

He also shows his technique for ensuring identical scrolls on both sides of the violin. He punches tiny holes through a template, thus transferring the pattern to the workpiece. Then he connects the dots.

Something else that works when carving symmetrical shapes is to mark a center line on your workpiece. That way you can eyeball both sides as you carve, keeping them evenly matched.
The next post may or may not involve carving. Hard to say when it's a meandering right-brained noodle that's doing the writing.
Monday, July 4, 2011
I Know What You're Thinking

Here's my answer:
1) The Roubo illustration I'm using for reference shows scrolly arms and I think it looks cool.
2) I've always been fascinated with the volutes on violins and have wondered how they are made.
3) I like to carve.
4) I thought you'd find it interesting.

First, I found some violin images to use for reference. The scrolls I'm making aren't as pronounced, but they do have a similar shape. It seems to me that carving them is akin to raising a panel: you have to lower the background in order for the volute to emerge from the wood.
Next, I carved a slight downward curve toward the end of the arm and stopped at the point where the outside curve of the scroll starts. Then I defined the shape of the curves within the scroll by making vertical stop cuts with various-sweep gouges.

After that, I used gouges to cut toward the stop cuts. As I moved toward the center of the scroll, the cuts were more shallow which created a ramp that slopes upward toward the middle of the design.
Once the basic ramp shape was established, I rounded over the sharp edges with chisels and gouges. The violin images I used showed ramps that were both rising and scooped out from the outside edges toward center. If you're going to make a bunch of these, you might want to invest in some gouges that will scoop out this area in a couple passes. I don't have many gouges, so I used what I had.

The height and scoopiness of the scrolls I'm making are much less elaborate and defined compared to violins' volutes. And they're way less smooth and refined. But, I'm leaving them the way they are.
It is just a frame saw, after all.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Frame Saw Progress


Both the screw and bolt need to be sawn down the middle along the last inch or so of their lengths. Then you need to drill a hole through them that lines up with the holes that are located at each end of the blade. (The blade that I bought from Highland Hardware had holes, otherwise, you'll have to drill them yourself.)

You need to cut the head off the lag screw so you can add a washer and nut to that end. By tightening the nut, the blade is tensioned.
At the other end of the frame is a carriage bolt that does not need to move. After I drilled the hole in the arm for the carriage bolt, I squared up the top of the hole so the carriage bolt can drop down into it, locking it in place.
At this point, you have a workable saw that will be murder on your hands.
Now comes the fun part: shaping the arms and stretchers to make the saw more comfortable to use and easier on the eyes.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Fear: The Great Motivator
A few weeks ago during a lightning storm, we lost the top half of a huge pine tree that separates our yard from our neighbor's. It fell smack dab in the middle of her backyard—no damage. Whew.
Our other neighbor, who loves physical labor and was an ox in a former life, offered to chop it up for her with his chainsaw.
And I offered to make everyone rustic window boxes.
As you may know, I'm a wee bit terrified of lathes. But there's another tool to which I afford a wide berth: chainsaws. Maybe I watched too many slasher movies as a kid. Or maybe I'm just a big sissy, but I don't go near them.
No problem. I figured I'd slice the logs up on my bandsaw and everyone would have a window box by the end of the day.
Well. The logs were big and unwieldy, and my bandsaw blade isn't as sharp as it should be, so that plan fell flat on its face.

Now what? I could use a handsaw but that would take forever, and I'm no masochist. My form of self-flagellation is to forgo dessert.
I could use a chainsaw, but (refer to above statement).
No, if I couldn't use a bandsaw, then I was going to cut the logs by hand somehow. That meant building a frame saw.

Fortunately, there are lots of bloggers who have chronicled the process. I'm following their lead in building my own. Here is one link. Here is another. And here is one more.
I'm planning to include the handles like those found in the Roubo print and hope it doesn't add too much time to building the saw. I need to get to those logs, which are lying in my yard, before my chainsaw-loving neighbor gets any funny ideas.

And I offered to make everyone rustic window boxes.
As you may know, I'm a wee bit terrified of lathes. But there's another tool to which I afford a wide berth: chainsaws. Maybe I watched too many slasher movies as a kid. Or maybe I'm just a big sissy, but I don't go near them.
No problem. I figured I'd slice the logs up on my bandsaw and everyone would have a window box by the end of the day.
Well. The logs were big and unwieldy, and my bandsaw blade isn't as sharp as it should be, so that plan fell flat on its face.

Now what? I could use a handsaw but that would take forever, and I'm no masochist. My form of self-flagellation is to forgo dessert.
I could use a chainsaw, but (refer to above statement).
No, if I couldn't use a bandsaw, then I was going to cut the logs by hand somehow. That meant building a frame saw.

Fortunately, there are lots of bloggers who have chronicled the process. I'm following their lead in building my own. Here is one link. Here is another. And here is one more.
I'm planning to include the handles like those found in the Roubo print and hope it doesn't add too much time to building the saw. I need to get to those logs, which are lying in my yard, before my chainsaw-loving neighbor gets any funny ideas.
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